Setting up a Nikon DSLR and using it

intro

Before proceeding into the depths of camera setup, I need to point out a that my subjects are mostly reportage, portraits and wildlife – different themes requiring different settings. I also have changed my workflow, since I no longer use Nikon Capture NX and now prefer the speed and convenience of Adobe Lightroom. Plus I should mention that I only shoot in RAW mode and never have shot in JPG. All the above greatly influence the way I choose to setup my camera so it’s important that you have this in mind when reading my personal choices below.

Banks

You can save different banks of settings for the “Shooting” and “Custom Setting” menus for different shooting situations. In the “Shooting menu” I used to have 4 different combinations and just one in the “Custom Settings menu”. I don’t use banks anymore since the “My Menu” menu can provide all the power I need in one easy to access menu.

Playback menu

I don’t use the playback menu while shooting but did use it when I first got the camera where I unchecked the Focus point and the Data options in the Display mode. To keep from coming back to this menu, I have placed the Image review option in the “My Menu” for easy access in case I ever need it. Sometimes when shooting amongst crowds such as in weddings, parties, street photography etc I may want to switch off the image review and use the Play button instead when I need to do any checking of the histogram or the image.

Shooting menu

I also don’t use this menu while shooting since most of the important stuff that’s included are available as dials on the camera body. Also, since switching from a Nikon based workflow to an Adobe based workflow some of the other settings such as Picture controls, Noise reduction and Active D-Lighting are pretty much redundant. I make sure the color space is set to sRGB, even though my workflow later is based on a wider color space. The reason I do this is because it makes a difference when reviewing the images on the rear LCD screen which is restricted to the sRGB color space. This has no affect on my files when imported into Lightroom, since they are retagged and handled as ProPhotoRGB. I also make sure Active D-Lighting is switched off. It may make no difference to Lightroom, but it does affect the exposure at the camera and subsequently the quality. It underexposes and uses a strong gamma curve to help include more highlight detail at the cost of adding noise in the shadows and midtones. This may be a good feature for someone shooting in bad light but it is of no benefit to me. I have also placed the Long Exposure NR option to the “My menu” menu since it’s very effective. The one downside to the Long Exposure NR is the extra time needed for its implementation.

Setup menu

This menu is also rarely used. I used it when I first set up the camera to enter the time and date and some of my personal data into the copyright field, my manual lenses in the Non-CPU lenses section and fine tuned some of my lenses in the Fine tune section. (May I suggest that you check and correct your AF lenses as your first step before setting up your camera? If you don’t have a way of doing this properly, you may want to invest in FoCal or LensAlign PRO)

Retouch menu

I have never used this apart from trying it out. Obviously it can only be of some use to JPG shooters who would prefer to print directly from the camera or CF card.

My menu

This should be your most used menu while shooting so if you haven’t used it yet, then I recommend you start using it today. This is where you need to put your most used settings from the other menus so you have fast and easy access to them without the need to switch between different menus. So it’s a good idea, while setting up the camera and going through all the settings, to note which settings you think may be well placed in here so you don’t have to go searching for them later. Personally I have included the following settings:

• • a3: Dynamic AF area
• • a4: Focus tracking with lock on
• • a5: AF activation
• • a9: Built-in AF assist illuminator
• • C3: Self timer delay
• • d2: Viewfinder grid display
• • e3: Flash cntrl for built-in flash
• • Non-CPU lens data
• • NEF (RAW) recording
• • Long exp. NR
• • Lock mirror up for cleaning
• • Multiple exposures
• • ISO sensitivity auto control
• • Image Review

Custom settings menu

• a1: AF-C Priority selection: Release (unchanged default). As far back as I can remember Nikon photographers have been debating over the release versus focus issue of this option. Personally I have always used the “release” option and still do.
• a2: AF-S Priority selection: Focus (unchanged default). I don’t use this option so I leave the factory setting as is.
• a3: Dynamic AF area: 21 or 51 with 3D-Tracking. I have this option also available in the My Menu for easy access. For the majority of my shooting though, I use 21-points.
• a4: Focus tracking with lock on: Normal (unchanged default).
• a5: AF activation: AF-ON. This is an option that many photographers hesitate to try or simply find it hard to decide what’s best. For auto-focusing I use the AF-ON button on the back of the camera simply because it offers me the best of both worlds. Both AF (continuous and single mode) and MF are at my finger tips without removing my eyes from the viewfinder. 1) I can pre-focus using AF and then recompose after I have released my thumb from the AF-ON button, 2) I can focus manually simply by not using the AF-ON button (AFS & AFI lenses) and 3) I can track focus the subject while pressing the AF-ON button continuously. I should point out though that I primarily use AF for action since I still love the control that MF offers me (most of my focusing is done manually). I also need to point out that for this to work as advertised; you will have to have the AF mode selector on the front of the camera set to Continuous all the time which in itself is another advantage, since you don’t need to bother with that switch again. (more on AF setup here)
  
• a6: AF point illumination: Off. I turn this feature off, I’m not sure why, I seem to want a clean and less distracting viewfinder.
• a7: Focus point wrap-around: No wrap.
• a8: AF point selection: 51 Points. When I first got the camera and was thumbing my way through all 51 points, I thought to myself what a big waste of time and energy to get to certain part of the frame. This option doesn’t affect AF, but rather reduces the points available making it faster to select the initial focusing point. Great if you regularly select points, but I find I don’t use it. Landscapers might not find the a8 setting too helpful either since they may want to have all 51 points available as well.
• a9: Built-in AF assist illuminator: Off. I prefer this in the off position mainly because I shoot wildlife and I rather not have any lights going off when I least expect it. If I ever do need it (shooting in a dark pub for instance) I can have easy access to it since I have included it in the “My Menu” menu.
• a10: AF-ON for MB-D10: AF-ON (unchanged default). Since I use the AF-ON in the landscape orientation, I obviously would use it for the portrait orientation as well.
• b1: ISO sensitivity step value: 1/3 STOP (unchanged default)
• b2: EV steps for exposure control: 1/3 STOP (unchanged default)
• b3: Exp comp/fine tune: 1/3 STOP (unchanged default)
• b4: Easy exposure compensation: ON (Auto Reset). I have used this feature a lot and find it very handy and love it while using it.
• b5: Center-weighted area: 8mm (unchanged default). I use center weighted a lot and sometimes find myself selecting 6mm for this option.
• b6: Fine tune optimal exposure: (Unchanged default). There are a lot of unreliable reports that the D300 overexposes and that it should be corrected by utilizing some form of correction. I haven’t found this to be true, but offer this explanation for those reports. Unlike previous models from Nikon, the new version of Matrix metering in the D300 (and most probably all cameras after it) will try to utilize the right side of the histogram by exposing as much to the right as it thinks the subject will allow in an attempt to try and avoid the noise zone. It seems to also be utilizing some form of smart gamma correction on individual color channels as well. So in effect the new camera does not produce overexposed images, but brighter images. And this is the preferred result to get from a camera since reducing the brightness or correcting the black point in post processing produces cleaner files compared to trying the opposite of lightening up the shadows which intensifies noise. So before you go and use this correction tool, make sure your camera is actually overexposing - which means it is burning beyond correction needed highlights (not spectral highlights). I would like to remind you that my remarks are for RAW based shooting.
• c1: Shutter-release button AE-L: OFF (unchanged default)
• c2: Auto meter-off delay: 6 seconds (unchanged default)
• c3: Self-timer delay: 10 seconds (unchanged default). I use this option often to change from longer settings to shorter settings, so I have included this setting in the “My menu” menu.
• c4: Monitor off delay: 20sec (unchanged default). 20 seconds feel about right, and what I find myself doing now is tap the shutter as soon as I’m finished reviewing to turn off the LCD screen.
• d1: Beep: OFF. This is one setting which with all my previous cameras I had always chosen the off option mainly because I shoot wildlife and I rather not have any beeps going off when I least expect it.
• d2: Viewfinder grid display: OFF (unchanged default). I have always desired a clean and unobtrusive viewfinder so why ruin a good view by using the grid. The only time I use this is when shooting a scape. This is why I have placed this setting in the “My menu” menu.
• d3: Viewfinder warning display: ON (unchanged default).
• d4: CL mode shooting speed: 4 FPS.
• d5: Max. continuous release: 100 (unchanged default). I only shoot RAW, so this doesn’t affect my 17 frame limit (@8fps).
• d6: File Number sequence: ON (unchanged default). This is another of those options I have always set to on as soon as I get the camera. It just gives me a rough indication of the number of shutter actuations fired just by looking at the file name.
• d7: Shooting info display: Auto (unchanged default)
• d8: LCD illumination: Off (unchanged default).
• d9: Exposure delay mode: Off (unchanged default). If you do landscapes without a cable release, this may interest you. The mirror goes up and the shutter actuation happens seconds later giving a chance for any mirror vibrations to settle first. I don’t use it since I still have my old MC-20 cable combined with the M-up selection.
• d10: MB-D10 battery type: Ni-MH. The AA battery holder of the MB-D10 has put my rechargeable flash batteries back in heavy use providing me with 8fps.
• d11: Battery order: MB-D10 (unchanged default). Obviously you want to deplete the batteries in the pack first.
• e1: Flash sync speed: 1/250 Auto FP
• e2: Flash shutter speed: 1/60 (unchanged default)
• e3: Flash control for built-in flash: COMMANDER. I usually have the Built In flash set to Commamder mode with the following settings for starting off: TTL -0.7 and groups A and B set to TTL at zero compensation. I have placed this setting in “My menu” for easy access.
• e4: Modeling Flash: OFF
• e5: Auto bracketing set: AE/Flash (unchanged default)
• e6: Auto bracketing (Manual mode): Flash/Speed (unchanged default)
• e7: Bracket order: Meter/Under/Over (unchanged default)
• f1: Multi selector center button: Playback/Zoom/Low
• f2: Multi-selector: Off (unchanged default)
• f3: Photo info/playback: Off (unchanged default)
• f4: Assign FUNC button: Flash off (Function button + dials = OFF)
• f5: Assign preview button: Flash value lock (Preview + Command dials = OFF)
• f6: Assign AE-L/AF-L button: Spot (AE-L/AF-L + Command dials = OFF)
• f7: Customize command dials: Reverse rotation/on, Change main sub/on, Aperture setting/on, Menus & playback/off. I never liked the orientation of the dials and especially the exposure graph. They both seemed wrong, so I was especially happy that now I can have those things changed to my liking. I can reverse the rotation of the command dials so their rotation matches the direction of the graph (see f10 below). This means when using Manual exposure mode, rotating either dial towards the right (away from the lens) will add exposure and left (towards the lens) will reduce the exposure. These adjustments add to a more natural way of using the camera.
• f8: Release button to use dial: Off (unchanged default)
• f9: No memory card: Lock. Have you ever in the past shot an event on a film camera only to find out there was no film in the camera or that it didn’t wind on the taking spool? Well with most digital cameras, those fears have disappeared unless you leave this setting at its default setting! So if you don’t want to start shooting an important event with no memory card in the camera set this to Lock.
• f10: Reverse indicators: -0+. I love this option! I now can reverse the exposure graph so that it reads in the more natural way of starting from minus on the left and gaining positive values towards the right.

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